HelioBase® - Accurate 3D Simulation of Photovoltaic Power-Plants (PV)

Reliable predictions on energy output by using location data, location based weather information, and accurate electrical properties of solar modules

(PresseBox) (Kirchheim, Germany/Kyoto, Japan, 09.06.2012)Field Logic Inc. will introduce HelioBase® at the Intersolar 2012 www.intersolar.de which will be held from Jun. 13th until Jun. 15th 2012 in Munich. HelioBase® is a 3D Photovoltaic (PV)-simulation software which is aiming at the planning, installation and operation of industrial PV power-plants. The energy output of PV power-plants is strongly associated with different critical factors, e.g. geographical location, location based weather profiles, mechanical design of the PV module assemblies, the electrical performance of solar modules, and the electrical network of PV power-plants. Field Logic Inc. is a leading Japanese manufacturer of monitoring systems (SCADA) which are used for the control of PV power-plants. HelioBase® is a new venture of Field Logic Inc. www.f-logic.com and www.heliobase.com. As a consequence of the Fukujima nuclear power-plant accident PV power-plants will have to contribute a major part of the energy supply in Japan. Therefore PV power-plants need to be operated at optimum conditions which can be achieved only when using powerful planning and simulation tools. This will be a major incentive for Field Logic Inc. as a developer of HelioBase® for an ongoing improvement of the software.

HelioBase®

HelioBase® is a 3D PV simulation tool which delivers accurate and reliable predictions for the energy output of PV power-plants. Traditional PV simulation software used until today is not precise and accurate enough to calculate the energy output of large PV power-plants. Traditional PV simulation software is aiming at solar module installations on the roofs of privately owned houses. On the contrary industrial PV power-plants have to be designed and installed based on accurate targets for the energy output of a PV power-plant. These figures can be generated with HelioBase®. The accuracy of HelioBase® simulation figures results from some specific features of the simulation process:

- Consideration of the precise geographic location data - longitude, latitude - of a PV power-plant
- Real 3D simulation by importing STL-formatted 3D CAD-data of buildings and 3D terrain data. This feature will allow planners to simulate PV power-plants which are located in mountain areas or in built environments with undesired shadowing effects
- Consideration of 3D shadowing effects and the influence of reflected light. Shadowing inside of solar modules and assemblies related to the geographical location of PV power-plants will be taken into account to allow for the optimization of PV-modules distances in solar cell assemblies.
- The influence of weather on the energy production of PV power-plant will be calculated with the help of location based hourly meteorological data. For this calculation HelioBase® can access meteorological databases, e.g. Energy Plus, TMY 3, METPV-3/1, and Meteonorm (Import)
- HelioBase® can take into account the I-V-characteristics of PV-modules, which describe the specific relationship between solar-irradiation and the electrical output of a PV module. HelioBase® bewares planners of PV power-plants from design mistakes by considering power losses in individual electrical components, e.g. inverters. HelioBase® algorithms for the simulation of the electrical behavior are based on a patented Specification Tree.

HelioBase® is supported on Microsoft Windows XP/Vista, and Windows 7 (.NET 3.5 und OpenGL 3.0). HelioBase-licenses are available as permanent licenses as well as rental licenses (12 months). Licenses are either "node-locked" or portable (USB-Dongle).

HelioBase® User Benefits

HelioBase® is an ideal development and design tool for project engineers, planners and operators of a PV power-plant as it allows for the accurate predictions of the energy production performance of a PV power-plant. HelioBase® can handle any computation process which is mandatory for a precise layout of a PV power-plant in a short time. Therefore it will be possible to study many more alternatives to find an optimal configuration. HelioBase® can export the resulting 3D design data via DXF-files which will feed downstream CAD-design processes. Designers of PV power-plants can deliver accurate energy output figures to their customers and are not forced any more to rely on risky estimates.

Field Logic Inc.

Field Logic Inc. www.f-.logic.com is a Japanese company in Kyoto which has been engaged in the solar sector for many years. Initially the company was developing monitoring systems (SCADA) for PV power-plants. HelioBase® is a new business venture. The developers of HelioBase® have been involved with 3D CAD/CAE-visualization and simulation tools for years. Customers of Field Logic are well-respected Japanese companies, e.g. Solar Frontier, Sharp, Mitsubishi, Kaneka, and Sanyo.

Field Logic Inc. and ConWeb GmbH cooperate at the market entry of Field Logic Inc. in Europe. ConWeb GmbH is representing Field Logic Inc. in Europa will also be in charge of the HelioBase-distribution in Europe. Complete HelioBase® trial version will be available starting Jun. 20th 2012. Contact: ConWeb GmbH info@conweb.de or Field Logic Inc. info@heliobase.com